Sanity’s Other Side: New Age of Fighters

Sweaty palms, wrists hurting, and a big heavy hunk of metal on his lap. Yep, another night of practicing combos gone well.

Hey, all, the Inverseman here with a quick summary of all the crazy fighting games we’ll be getting this year (three big ones over the course of the next two months) as well as my personal opinions on them.

BlazBlue: Continuum Shift Extend

Well, February has the next iteration of BB:CS. This time we get all DLC characters in as well as the addition of Relius Clover to the roster. Sadly, there is no DLC upgrade option like the last update. If you haven’t snagged a version of Continuum Shift by now, this is the version to get. Team matches have been added as well as compatibility with the PS Vita. While I am a fan, and I’m kinda excited for things like new story mode scenarios and more dialogue for all characters that were introduced via DLC, I still would prefer a download update or possibly an append disk which has been done before with other publishers like Atlus’ Persona 3 F.E.S and many entries in Koei’s Dynasty Warriors series. It’s nice but can we please get to an official third game? Or perhaps a new Guilty Gear game? A crossover maybe? Which brings me to the next game.

Street Fighter X Tekken

Zany crossovers ahoy! We have not just one but two games from Capcom and Namco. Street Fighter X Tekken is set for launch this March and will be Capcom’s take on the crossover. Team fights, an item equipment system, and a strong emphasis on partner skills will be the focus, along with regular Capcom mechanics. It’ll be interesting to see many of the Tekken cast in Street Fighter style and pulling off super and ex attacks and the game is dripping with hype for fans of both series. The big question is if the game will give players their competitive fix as well as their fanservice fix. And unlike a game like Marvel VS Capcom, (which while very fun, I wouldn’t say is the premier balanced fighter) I’d vouch that two teams very used to the genre should put out a game that has ounce-for-ounce hype for competitiveness.

Soul Calibur V

Towards the end of the month, Soul Calibur V is headed our way with new mechanics introduced, like a super meter (Critical Gauge) and re-tuned guard mechanics. While many old favorites will not return in this entry (why?! Come back, Talim!) there’s plenty of new characters hopefuls added to the roster. Personally, my experience with Soul Calibur is the oodles of fun that came from the character creation mode, and being able to alter character height as well as weapon color will further help me decide “who would win in a fight? Colonel Sanders or Ronald McDonald?” PS Ezio is one of the guest characters.

Persona 4 : The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena

Fan bias is kicking in here, but will P4: Ultimate be more than just a “fanservice fighter”? In my opinion, yes. It looks like it’s shaping up quite well. Personas and many other RPG elements have translated over into Arc System Works style. At the same time, it’s simple four button system that anyone who has a rudimentary familiarity with other ArcSys games can get behind. Due out in Japan this spring, there’s plenty to look forward to as the location test data and character confirmations come in.

Skullgirls

One of the bigger titles I’m anticipating. The fighting game community has been very close tracking the development of this game. This is a game that is mechanically stunning. Team matches allow for your own custom assist attacks, nearly any attack is at your disposal. A scaling system allows for 3 on 1 matches, 2 on 3 matches, and other combinations. The netcode is solid. While the style is pretty hit-or-miss, I wound up falling in love with the retro feel of the game down to the announcer shouting “And now a word from our sponsors” at the end of a round. A noble title, now to see how much it delivers.

Looks like the fighting game genre is doing well, and most of these games have portable versions for PS Vita and 3DS, hopefully as a gateway to more players. So break out your arcade stick because we’ll be busy for the next few months. Join me next time when I mod my Hori Real Arcade Pro 3 with a blender.